Hello, everyone.

This is Enta.

I think there are plenty of tips for making money on the job.

I think it depends on the specific approach and the director.

A common tactic is the "hidden budget" lol (a trick for hiding money within the budget).

Well, back when I was young, my senior taught me to do it that way, and I did it that way too.

However, personally, I had my doubts about that approach, and in the end, I preferred a strict budget—wondering, “Just how far can we go with a rock-solid budget!?”

As a result, we frequently went over budget.

 

The company was actually making a profit, but since we went over budget, we ended up getting grilled by the branch manager at the time and even the department head at headquarters lol.

If you keep doing stuff like that, you won't get recognized, lol—at least not as a salaryman.

The people who get recognized are always the ones who use hidden budgets and end up with money left over.

Or someone who is available on-site and can work as scheduled.

It’s the kind of branch operator system where people who talk like that tend to get praised, lol (though I don’t know about now).

 

I was the kind of maverick who didn’t care about evaluations or promotions, so my focus was on how to balance the contractor’s asking price with my budget, negotiate, wrap up the job quickly, and turn a profit!

There was a time when I focused on that because I enjoyed figuring out whether our company could make a profit as well.

Also, since I was so focused on how to score points on-site, I even paid close attention to the details in the meeting minutes, lol.

Back in the day, it was easier to score points just by being creative and figuring out how to spend your money, so it might have been easier then than it is now.

Of all those things, what concerned me the most was time.

When managing a project, we track progress on a daily basis. Budgets are also generally calculated on a daily basis.

In actual practice, you can significantly reduce that time by keeping track of it.

 

When giving instructions to subcontractors, I also specify the time frame. (This is in the context of a strict budget.)

In short, it means managing your day in 8-hour blocks rather than on a day-by-day basis.

Of course, managing things is a hassle, lol.

However, doing this reveals funds that aren't apparent from the budget alone.

Time = Money

Time is money.

 

A job that usually takes a formwork carpenter five days was completed in four days and three hours.

Yay! That's 5 hours shorter!

Back then, I used to do stuff like this lol (Looking back now, I think it was pretty stupid.)

By keeping track of your time each day, you can see your total accumulated time and use that information to manage your finances.

So, when things were going well, we were naturally making more profit than the budget called for.

And you’ll have a clear understanding of how much profit the subcontractors are making.

"If things keep going like this, we're on track to make 4.56% more profit than originally planned!" he said, getting all nitpicky lol

I guess it was probably just me being self-satisfied—I'm sure the subcontractor didn't care one bit about that, lol.

 

And I was thinking, “Well, since I have a little extra time right now, I should be able to buy this management tool on-site without blowing the budget, right!?”

Maybe because of that, I can now get a general idea of things even if I’m just doing a rough estimate.

I'm not saying this method is good or bad, though lol

 

Among the various management methods, I found this one to be the easiest to understand, so that's what I was doing.

I can't say which one is better, but everything has its pros and cons.

I think the joy of construction management really comes through when you find a management method that works well for you and suits your style.

In particular,When it comes to money,The Thrill of Construction ManagementI think that's true, too.

It's fine to be strict and keep meticulous track of things, or to take a more laid-back approach.

Everyone is different, so try coming up with your own approach.

Doing so might allow us to establish a profit-making system for the field operations to some extent.

Well, depending on the job site, there are some really crappy ones, lol.

If you find yourself in that situation, just think of it as a challenge and do your best.

Apparently, people tend to face particularly difficult challenges between the ages of 29 and 31. (At work)

They say the way you get through that period will pay off starting at age 40.

So, for those of you in that age group, let’s overcome these challenges with ingenuity and a little grit, and build a path toward the future!

 

See you later.